DETROIT (WXYZ) — For many Latinos, food is more than something to eat. It is family, tradition and a connection to home.
For decades, Mexicantown Bakery and Armando's Mexican Restaurant have helped provide all three in southwest Detroit. Behind the pastries, cakes and family recipes is a story of perseverance that began with immigrant parents who arrived in Detroit looking for opportunity and built a legacy that now spans generations.
"We came here in '66 with my parents from Cuba," said Mexicantown Bakery owner Omar Hernandez.
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Hernandez and his sister, Cecilia Benedict, general manager of Armando's Mexican Restaurant, said their parents worked at a nearby meat-packing plant after settling in Detroit. Hard work quickly became a family value.
"We always worked," Benedict said. "That's all we did. It was ingrained in our blood."
That work ethic helped the family establish businesses that have become staples in southwest Detroit. Before the family gained ownership of Armando's in the '80s, they opened their own bakery.
Years later, Hernandez opened Mexicantown Bakery in 1995. Now, more than three decades later, it continues to grow.
"It's gonna be 31 years now," Hernandez said. "Hispanics are very entrepreneurial."
According to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Latino-owned businesses across Michigan generate billions of dollars annually, with southwest Detroit serving as one of the state's most significant hubs for Hispanic entrepreneurship.
Wayne State University Latino studies professor Jorge Chinea said the Hernandez family's story reflects a broader trend among Latino-owned businesses.
"A lot of Latino-owned businesses start family-owned, and then they get fixed and address the needs of the Latino community," Chinea said.
While operating a small business can be challenging for anyone, Chinea said Latino entrepreneurs have historically faced additional obstacles, including limited access to capital, labor shortages and the need to constantly adapt to changing economic conditions.
"If you adjust to the market forces and you make allowances that things are changing around you, you can survive," Chinea said.
As southwest Detroit's Latino population has diversified over the years, so have the products offered at the bakery.
"We have a lot more Central and Latin Americans," Hernandez said. "Guatemalans, Hondurans, Colombians, Venezuelans."
Benedict said the bakery responded by adding products that reflected those communities' traditions and tastes.
"They want to have that family feeling," she said.
The family's reach now extends far beyond southwest Detroit. Hernandez said social media has helped attract customers from throughout Michigan and neighboring regions.
"Over 50% of our clientele comes from half an hour or an hour away on the weekends," he said. "They come from Ohio, Canada."
Like many businesses, the family also faced uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"COVID. That was like my, 'oh my God, we're gonna get through COVID,'" Benedict said. "But you know what? You just did it every single day."
Looking back on decades of success, the siblings said their advice to future entrepreneurs is simple: stay committed, work hard and pursue something you genuinely enjoy.
"Do what you love," Benedict said, "and success will come."
Omar has also owned numerous businesses aside from the bakery, but today, Mexicantown Bakery continues to offer more than pastries and desserts. For many visitors, it offers a taste of culture, community and the history of a family that helped shape southwest Detroit.
To learn more about the bakery, click visit their website.
